Caesura
by Raven9
Summary: Blaster goes to see his favourite band, The Cure, play live. But he's not the only transformer there...


AUTHOR COMMENT:  
  
I hope you'll enjoy Caesura. The idea came to me after reading Raksha's Soundwave stories. Find Lexicon and Rakasha's stories at http:www.lexicon.tf  
  
* * *  
  
Blaster sat at his post in Monitoring Station Three, yawning widely. "If cerebro-circuitry could crash from sheer boredom," he muttered, "I'd have gone offline hours ago!" He was sorely tempted to use one of the monitors to catch some Mtv, or maybe a little VH-1.  
  
Optimus Prime hadn't been too pleased when he'd caught Blaster doing just that a few weeks ago. The result had been a lecture on attention to duty and a stern warning not to let it happen again.  
  
"Watch TV on your own time, Blaster. I realise that Earthen ways are fascinating, and that monitor duty is boring, but we must remain vigilant."  
  
Blaster had nearly grinned: even Optimus Prime could be difficult to locate whenever the X-Files were on. But he'd held his harmonizer, saying only "Got it, Prime. Won't happen again."  
  
Even so, his hand drifted towards the control panel. 'No way, Blaster. You wanna be stuck listening to Britney Spears and N*Sync for a month? Bleah." The Communications officer shuddered in disgust. He couldn't monitor Earth radio transmissions, either: if an important message came in, he might miss it.  
  
He checked his internal chronometer, groaning as he realised he had another two hours to go. "Is this night ever gonna end? I've seen snailoids move faster!" He leaned forward in his chair, glaring at the bank of monitors as if they were the source of all misery.  
  
Blaster! You there, dude?::  
  
Blaster grinned at the sound of Jazz's voice coming over his internal radio. ::Yeah, where else would I be?::  
  
Jazz cackled. ::You sound like one bored mechanism, my man! Well, I've got news for you!::  
  
Blaster leaned back further, propping his feet on the console before him. ::Bored, tired, you name it, I've got it! What's going down?::  
  
Scope this, Blaster. The Cure will be in town next week!::  
  
Blaster chuckled. ::Oh, that's nice. I-what what what?!:: He sat bolt upright, feet thudding down hard on the floor.  
  
Jazz laughed at his friend's reaction. ::You sound just like Kyle's mom on South Park! Yeah, The Cure! Your favourite band!::  
  
What day next week?::  
  
The 25th, at 8pm. There's hills overlooking the concert site-it's one of those awesome outdoor ampitheaters! You can sit up on the hill, and none of the humans will ever see you!::  
  
::You know I'm there, dude!::  
  
::Better clear it with Prime, first Blaster::  
  
Blaster sighed. ::Like I don't already know that. But yeah. Shouldn't be a problem though. Hey, wanna join me to celebrate?::  
  
Jazz chuckled. ::Nawww...me and Fireflash have business, if you get what I mean.::  
  
Blaster laughed. ::Yeah, I sure do. Well, I'll hit up Ratchet to celebrate with me. The Doc would party to celebrate the wind blowing!:: Jazz laughingly agreed and ended radio contact.  
  
Blaster grinned. It had been ages since he'd seen the Cure live. He'd seen them in 1989, on the Prayer Tour, and again in 1996 on the Swing Tour. That particular outing had been cut short due to an Decepticon attack on the Autobot's home base.  
  
When Bloodflowers, their newest release became available in MP3 format, Blaster had eagerly grabbed the songs up, storing them on his hard drive to hear whenever he wanted. And now...  
  
"Primus help the Decepticons if they slag this up for me," Blaster grumbled. "And I don't mean Primus the band!"  
  
Optimus Prime had no problem with allowing Blaster to attend the show. He'd issued the usual warnings-avoid the humans and stay out of sight. All of this went without saying, but Blaster was too overjoyed to complain.  
  
A week later, Blaster stood on the high, grassy hill looking down into a small valley where the ampitheater rested. Powerglide had been only too happy to drop him off. It had given the Autobot flyer a chance to show off his self-proclaimed superb flying skills, Blaster thought wryly.  
  
A huge crowd of fans filled every available bit of space in the amphitheater. Even a quarter of a mile away, Blaster's hearing and eyesight would afford him a show even the fans in the front row would envy. If he'd wanted, Blaster could count the strings on Robert Smith's guitar or pick up the tablature to Fascination Street, say, just by watching Perry Bamonte's playing.  
  
Blaster could hear the excited chatter and occasional happy shriek from the crowd as they waited. It was contagious-he felt his fuel-pump race in anticipation of the show. A quick check of his chronometer told him the concert would begin very soon. Smiling, Blaster began singing one of his favourite songs:  
  
"Show me show me show me how you do that trick  
  
The one that makes me scream" she said  
  
"The one that makes me laugh" she said  
  
And threw her arms around my neck  
  
"Show me how you do it  
  
And I promise you I promise that  
  
I'll run away with you  
  
I'll run away with--*You!*"  
  
Startled by the Decepticon's sudden appearance, Blaster went for his weapon.  
  
"Hold!" Soundwave's inflectionless shout froze Blaster in mid draw. "Intentions: Peaceful."  
  
Blaster lowered but did not reholster his weapon.  
  
"What in the Hell are you doing here?" he demanded. The Decepticon did not reply. He merely pointed down into the valley.  
  
"Are you saying you're here for the concert?" Blaster demanded. He would never have figured Soundwave for a Cure fan...or a fan of much of anything Earthen.  
  
"Affirmative."  
  
Blaster looked into Soundwave's optics. Somehow, he knew that the Decepticon spoke the truth. He put his weapon away, making a mental note to keep an eye on his old foe. "What do you say to a temporary cease-fire?"  
  
The Decepticon nodded. "Suggestion: Acceptable."  
  
They stared at each other uneasily for a moment.  
  
Finally Blaster said "I don't believe it, dude. You? A Cure fan?"  
  
Soundwave held out his hand. On his palm was a tiny scrap of paper. A ticket.  
  
"You bought a ticket for the show? That wasn't necessary, you know." Blaster wasn't even about to ask the 'Con how he came by it.  
  
"Necessity: Irrelevant. Hard work and talent are to be rewarded."  
  
Blaster looked down a moment. Soundwave's words made him feel a bit guilty. He'd never paid for any of the concerts, and his music collection was all bootlegs and MP3's. 'And we're supposed to be the good guys.' Not sure what to say, he took a seat on the grass. After a moment's hesitation, Soundwave followed suit.  
  
They were silent for several minutes. Curious about his foe and excited about the show, Blaster attempted to engage Soundwave in conversation. The Decepticon ignored all his questions: what was his favourite album? His favourite song?  
  
"Have you ever seen them live before?" Blaster persisted.  
  
Soundwave turned to regard him cooly.  
  
"Affirmative. Concert: Imminent. Silence: Requested." He turned back to the scene below.  
  
"Guess I know when I've been told to shut up!" Blaster huffed. Unseen by Blaster, Soundwave's optics brightened in a secret smile. The exchange was forgotten by both Transformers as a shrieking cheer went up from the crowd.  
  
The two observed the goings on in silence. Blaster had wanted to join the crowd in shouting and cheering, but somehow, it didn't feel appropriate. If Soundwave was enjoying the concert, it didn't show.  
  
Most of the songs were from the new album, Bloodflowers. Blaster knew and loved them all as much as he loved the old favourites such as Prayers for Rain and A Strange Day.  
  
There was a subtle difference to the band this time. Blaster couldn't put his finger on it, but it was there. Almost as if in spite of the darkly themed songs, there was an almost exuberant joy. Blaster smiled to himself. "Be careful, Robert. You'll blow your image!"  
  
The band finished with Treasure, a song Blaster had always been fond of. He sang along softly with Robert as he performed.  
  
She whispers  
  
"Please remember me  
  
When I am gone from here  
  
but not with tears  
  
Remember I was always true  
  
Remember that I always tried  
  
Remember I loved only you  
  
Remember me and smile  
  
For it's better to forget  
  
Than to remember me  
  
And cry"  
  
A soft sound from the Decepticon caught Blaster's attention. He looked over, and noticed that Soundwave was singing softly with the words., his optics dark yet somehow brighter.  
  
It didn't take Alpha Trion to figure out what Soundwave was feeling. Blaster was one of the few Autobots who knew of the great love Soundwave had once shared with a Neutralist scientist-Celene. And the Autobots had been responsible for her death. Blaster fell respectfully silent as the Decepticon sang along with Robert Smith. He had a beautiful singing voice- deep and resonant, velvety. Like a starless night sky.  
  
"Remember I was always true  
  
Remember that I always tried  
  
Remember I loved only you  
  
Remember me and smile  
  
For it's better to forget  
  
Than to remember me  
  
And cry"  
  
In the valley below, The Cure said their good-byes to the crowd and stepped off stage. Up on the hill, the two Transformers got to their feet. Blaster was at a loss for words. How many friends had he lost to the Decepticons? How many times had he sworn vengeance? And now, he was faced with the reality few Autobots cared to face: The Decepticons loved and mourned as deeply as they themselves did.  
  
"Soundwave..."  
  
The indigo-armoured Decepticon turned to look at him. "Yes?"  
  
Blaster hesitated, then before his doubts could overwhelm him, he spoke. "I wish it didn't have to be this way. The war, I mean."  
  
The Decepticon remained silent. After what seemed like an eternity, he turned to face his Autobot counterpart. His optics seemed to shine, somehow. For a moment, he seemed at war with himself, then it passed. A trick of the moonlight, perhaps. Finally, he spoke.  
  
"As do I, Blaster. But here it is. You have your cause, and I have mine. Farewell." The Communications Officer turned and walked down the hill.  
  
Blaster watched him until he disappeared into the night. Then he turned his face skyward, gazing at the Earth's full moon.  
  
He stayed like that for a long, long time.  
  
The End  
  
LEXICON COMMENT: Read about Celene and Soundwave in "Journey Into Destiny" by Raksha. 


End file.
